The Oxford English Dictionary has named “post-truth” the word of 2016. Post-truth is defined as, "relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief." Our panel hopes to look at different historical contexts/cases where generally accepted “truths” were somehow rendered unimportant, whether deliberately or unintentionally, thereby providing historical context for our more recent “post-truth” moments.

Magic & Witchcraft at the Dawn of Modernity: Why Then & What Now?

We may think of magic and witchcraft beliefs as relics of some bygone dark age. In this discussion we will learn that magical ideas flourished with particular success precisely at the dawn of modern times. We will also see that the European and American witch hunts did not occur in the middle ages but precisely during the scientific revolution. Why might that have been the case? And why should we still be paying close attention to occult mentalities in our own time?

Climate Change, the Anthropocene and the Deep History of the Earth

This event is free and open to the public. Advance reservations are not necessary.

What is the evidence for human-driven climate change in recent history, what is coming to be called the “Anthropocene”? How does this evidence compare with what we know about climate in the past, both in the more familiar epoch of human history proper, but also in prehistory, and the deep, geological history of the earth? John Brooke will provide a layman’s overview, and briefly comment on the way forward for humanity.

John Brooke is Humanities Distinguished Professor of History and Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at the Ohio State University. He is, most recently, the author of Climate Change and the Course of Global History: A Rough Journey, published by Cambridge University Press in 2014.

American Ways, An Overview of Four Centuries of Consistent National Behavior

Steve MillettThursday, September 22, 2016 - 6:30pm to 8:30pm

Panera BreadCommunity Room875 Bethel RoadColumbus, OH 43214

The American people have displayed consistent patterns of behavior for more than 400 years. They have placed great value on individual merits, rights, and interests. The driving force of most Americans has been the sustained optimism of the “American Dream,” the ideal that the future will be better than the past in material and emotional terms. Americans have showed a remarkable ability to combine lofty ideals with self-interests. In addition, they have also emphasized the importance of strong communities, especially when communities defend and support individuals. They have always placed a particular emphasis on processes, and they have had to learn to accommodate each other and resolve their conflicts without resorting to violence. The U.S. Constitution is the ultimate process, and it has failed only once: the Civil War. Looking toward the future, the success of American optimism and the management of fear rests upon the pursuit of opportunities as presented in five likely scenarios to 2050.

The History of "Radical" Movements in Islam

Jane HathawayProfessorMonday, April 18, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:00pm

Whetstone Library3909 North High StreetColumbus, OH 43214

This talk will address the historical origins of key “radical” — or, more appropriately, puritanical or revivalist — movements in Sunni Islam. The focus will be on two main strands of Sunni revivalism: Wahhabism, which originated in the mid-18th century, and the Muslim Brotherhood, which originated in the early 20th century. Both these tendencies seek to root out innovations to the practice of the original Muslim community in the 7th century, but what they regard as innovations and the ways in which they attempt to eradicate them vary widely. Discussion will include a number of groups and movements that have been in the news in recent years, including Hamas, al-Qaeda, and ISIS.

How the History of Poindexter Village Challenges Popular Stereotypes about Public Housing

A surprising array of critics from both the political left and right agree that public housing as built has next to no redeeming features. These places are written off as havens of crime and poverty. But this is false. Like communities across the United States, the history of Columbus, Ohio’s first and all-black public housing development Poindexter Village reveals a strikingly different story. On the city’s Near East Side, African-Americans formed a neighborhood in the face of segregation, built housing, created a vibrant and supportive community, and even challenged the popular notion of historic preservation.

"I had the Best Childhood": Growing up in Ohio Orphanages in the 20th Century

In the course of the twentieth century hundreds of thousands of American children spent part of their childhood in orphanages or children’s homes across the country. Modern understandings of life in such institutions are typically negative, associating orphanage life with the hardships encountered by fictional characters such as Oliver Twist and Orphan Annie. Surely, growing up outside the family was associated with trauma for many children, but the reality of orphanage life was often more complex. Based on 200 oral history interviews, this talk explores the experiences of more than 200 individuals who grew up in Ohio orphanages between 1920 and 1995. How do these former orphanage children recall their childhood? What is it like to come of age in an institution? Surprisingly, many of these individuals had very fond memories of their early lives, sometimes claiming that their childhoods had been close to ideal. Why did they think so? And what can we learn from their experiences that might influence present-day child welfare policies?

Devouring the Earth: How British Food Changed the World

Between 1750 and 1900, the British diet underwent significant change, becoming much richer in meat, wheat, and sugar. This talk explores a series of significant consequences of this dietary transition, including the transformation of agrarian ecologies across the globe, and the accelerated, human-driven evolution of cattle, pigs, wheat and sugar. At a national scale, this recognizably “British” diet, albeit one with regional peculiarities, provided the calorie flows necessary for the domestic labor force to power the industrial revolution. While calorie levels rose on the British mainland, there were also a growing list of dietary pathologies, from constipation, food allergy, diverticulitis and tooth decay to anorexia nervosa and obesity. Our contemporary food crises--including world hunger, the diabetes epidemic and the limits of human global carrying capacity--has a much deeper history.

Caravans: Indian Merchants on the Silk Road

Dr. Scott LeviThursday, April 30, 2015 - 5:30pm to 7:00pm

The Ohio UnionCartoon Room 21739 North High StreetColumbus, OH 43210

More than a century ago, Russian Orientalists advanced a number of erroneous assumptions about Central Asian history that even today remain embedded within the “Silk Road” paradigm. This presentation illustrates how this received wisdom continues to shape our understanding of early modern Central Asian history, and how recent work in Indian history demonstrates the need to rethink these longstanding ideas and approach historical work on the Silk Road with a more critical perspective. The presentation draws on Scott Levi’s more than fifteen years of work on the subject, which has culminated in the recent publication his new book, Caravans: Indian Merchants on the Silk Road (Penguin, 2015).

For non-OSU guests, parking passes are available with RSVP by April 27. Please RSVP on EventBrite.

For more information, please contact Janelle Henderson in the Goldberg Center at henderson.328@osu.edu or 614-292-0324.

Russia and the Race for the Arctic

The Ohio UnionRosa Ailabouni Room1739 North High StreetColumbus, OH 43210

Global climate variations have caused unprecedented changes to the Arctic environment, especially a rapid decrease in the summer sea ice sheet. While perilous to the survival of the iconic polar bear, many humans are watching these changes with an eye to what riches an open Arctic Ocean might bring forth: in oil and gas, mining, and open-water transportation. Five countries can lay claim to the potential wealth of the Arctic Ocean: Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and the United States. But it is Russia and Canada in particular that have jumped out to the early lead in this new race for the Arctic. In this talk, Nicholas Breyfogle explores Russia's long history in the Arctic and the roots of its current assertive policies in the region.

For our friends not affiliated with OSU, parking passes will be provided for those who RSVP by April 6.

"Is Google 'Making us Stupid?'" A Deep History and Future of the Internet

David J. StaleyAssociate Professor of History, The Ohio State UniversityFriday, October 24, 2014 - 5:00pm to 6:30pm

In a 2008 article in The Atlantic, Nick Carr famously asked “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” and wondered specifically what deleterious effects the Internet is having on our brains. Carr argued that the Internet is making us incapable of sustaining the attention necessary to read long-form articles and books. He also points to evidence which suggests that using the Internet is rewiring our brains.

David Staley’s answer to Carr’s question is “no.” When we place the development of the Internet in a long-term historical context, we see that what the Internet is “doing to our brains” is similar to the effects that other cognitive technologies—like art or writing—have had. Professor Staley will evoke this deeper history, and suggest possible futures for the brain-Internet interface.

Was the Qing Dynasty "China"?

Ying Zhang, assistant professor of Chinese history, will discuss one of the most hotly debated topics among historians: whether the last dynasty, the Qing Empire (1644-1911), was "China."

Was a dynasty ruled by non-Chinese emperors a “Chinese” empire? Is it true, suggested recently inThe Wall Street Journal, that our historical understanding of the Qing dynasty has been a purely nationalistic construction by the People’s Republic of China with fictive narratives of political and geographical continuity of a Chinese empire? How do scholars and ordinary Chinese react to this approach to the history of the Qing and should such a scholarly argument be interpreted politically?

U.S.-Iraqi Relations in Historical Perspective

Peter HahnProfessor and Chair of HistorySaturday, January 26, 2013 - 10:00am to 12:00pm

Twice since 1990, the United States initiated military action against Iraq, most recently in an invasion in 2003 that resulted in a prolonged, difficult, and costly U.S. occupation of the country. Sharing the insights of his recent book, Missions Accomplished?: The United States and Iraq since World War I (Oxford University Press, 2011), Peter Hahn will discuss the long-term development of U.S. policy toward Iraq, identify problems and challenges that the United States encountered, assess the wisdom and effectiveness of U.S. military operations, and evaluate the complex challenges currently facing the United States in Iraq.Twice since 1990, the United States initiated military action against Iraq, most recently in an invasion in 2003 that resulted in a prolonged, difficult, and costly U.S. occupation of the country. Sharing the insights of his recent book, Missions Accomplished?: The United States and Iraq since World War I (Oxford University Press, 2011), Peter Hahn will discuss the long-term development of U.S. policy toward Iraq, identify problems and challenges that the United States encountered, assess the wisdom and effectiveness of U.S. military operations, and evaluate the complex challenges currently facing the United States in Iraq.

Capital Cities in the Aftermath of Empire: Athens and Sofia Compared

The Ohio UnionCreative Arts Room1739 North High StreetColumbus, OH 43210

Theodora Dragostinova will examine the development of two Eastern European cities, the Greek capital Athens and the Bulgarian capital Sofia, in their transition from the Ottoman Empire to national independence in the nineteenth century. How did the national administrations in Greece and Bulgaria envision their new capitals? What were the architectural innovations implemented in these cities? How did urban populations change? How did the national elites use the Ottoman past? How did they create new national traditions? Examining images from nineteenth-century Athens and Sofia, this lecture will explore the meaning of architectural choices during major political transitions.

Dangerous Aesthetics: The Fascist and Nazi Appeal to Emotion

Alan Beyerchen teaches and researches in nineteenth and twentieth century German history. His work has ranged from studies of the early 19th century military theorist Carl von Clausewitz, through the cultural matrix of science and technology in the German Empire, to the complex political environment of scientists in the Third Reich, to the economic competitiveness of German industry at the end of the 20th century. The focus of his research centers on the web of cultural relationships among science, technology, and the values of modernity, while his approach to teaching blends cultural, socio-economic and political history. A gifted teacher, Professor Beyerchen has won teaching awards from the Department of History (twice), the College of Humanities, the Ohio State University (Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award) and the Ohio Academy of History. He is also an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Aristocratic Values in Republican Rome

Many people have evoked — but have not always fully understood — the Republican values of ancient Rome, the Founding Fathers of our own republic among them. Professor Nathan Rosenstein will discuss these republican values as seen by the Romans themselves, and will consider the long-term strengths and weaknesses of those values.

Nathan Rosenstein has been a member of the Department of History since 1986. He is the author of numerous books and articles on ancient Rome, including Rome and the Mediterranean, 290-146 B.C.: The Imperial Republic; A Companion to the Roman Republic; Rome At War: Farms, Families, and Death in the Middle Republic; and Imperatores Victi: Military Defeat and Aristocratic Competition in the Middle and Late Republic. Professor Rosenstein was the 2011 recipient of the The Paul W. Brown Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching in the Department of History.